Memory Lane
by Heracratzarism
Summary: TFP. When Miko is electrocuted, she loses her memories. Jack will try anything to get Miko back, but will it work when she refuses to trust him? This is my first FanFiction EVER. Please be nice with your reviews, I'm new at this. Thanks.  I do not own Transformers Prime!
1. Electrical Nightmare

Memory Lane

Miko silently pouted on the couch in the Autobot base. She could hear the clanking and buzzing of Ratchet and Jack working on the Polarity Gauntlet. There was still a lot they didn't know about it, and the Doc-Bot wanted to examine it. Miko sighed in exasperation. She was bored and she wished she was helping them. Or rather, helping Jack pass tools to Ratchet when he needed them. He wouldn't let Jack within ten feet of the Gauntlet. That meant Miko couldn't go within 30 feet of it.

"Why can't I help you guys again?" She called across the missile silo.

"Because I said so," Ratchet replied shortly.

"I promise I'll be careful, Doc-Bot."

"The answer is still no, and stop calling me that!" Ratchet barked grumpily.

Miko sighed and slid off the couch. It wasn't fair! Ratchet was always paranoid I would mess things up, and all because she snuck through the Ground Bridge a few times.

"But I'm so bored! Bulk and Arcee are on patrol with Optimus and Raf's racing with Bumblebee. There's nothing to do."

Ratchet groaned and put a servo over his face, "You're giving me a processor-ache, Miko."

Jack jumped in with a snarky quip of his own, "Don't worry Ratchet, she's just fulfilling her goal in life to create panic and confusion."

"Very funny Darby."

A roll of thunder stopped Jack from replying.

Ratchet muttered something about strangling Optimus when he got back for leaving him with the "infuriating human sparklings."

"I'm going to get a few more tools, Jack. Keep an eye on this DataPad for any energy spikes, it's very sensitive when all these wires are hooked up to it. Whatever you do, _don't touch it if it starts to overload. _The current electrical storm could inadvertently effect the Gauntlet. Unhook it if you can, but only if it's safe. Understand?" Ratchet looked at both of them, his optics stopping when they reached the perky Asian.

"What?" Miko huffed indignantly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

Jack snorted and Ratchet just rolled his eyes. Miko glared at both of them scathingly.

"Keep an eye on her while I'm gone, okay Jack?"

"Sure thing Ratchet," Jack said with a grin.

When Ratchet was gone, Miko jumped down and flew down the stairs. She raced across the room to get a better look at the Polarity Gauntlet. She hadn't got to look at it very well last time, considering the fact that Arachnid and Breakdown had been trying to scrap Arcee and Bulkhead.

The Gauntlet was smooth and gray. The almost D-shaped gadget had a hand-hold on the bottom bar where a Transformer's servo could slip into. Miko's hand slipped into her pocket to draw out her phone. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her wrist.

Jack smirked at her and said, "One picture, but then you have to go before the Doc gets back."

"You're the best Jackson Darby!" Miko snapped a picture on her phone.

Both of the teens jumped as a loud roll of thunder reverberated through the silo. A small ping rang out of the DataPad.

"Oh, scrap!" Jack cried out.

"What is it?"

"The lightning is effecting the Gauntlet!"

Jack started to unhook the Gauntlet from all the wires. He had gotten half off when another bolt off lightning flashed through the Nevada sky.

Miko leapt forward and pushed Jack's hand off of the magnetic device at the precise moment that the Polarity Gauntlet started to overload.

The teenage girl screamed in agony as the electricity coursed through her small frame.

_"MIKO!" _Jack cried, but she was unconscious before she hit the floor.


	2. The Whole Story

Memory Lane

Ratchet was looking for more connecting wires in the supply room. He knew he'd have to wrap his project up soon, or else the danger of the Polarity Gauntlet overloading would be too great. His sensors detected an extremely charged bolt of lightning that touched the Earth near the silo. His frown turned to a look of panic as a piercing scream ripped through his audio sensors. Ratchet ran back to the children, and he sped up when he heard Jack yell Miko's name.

"What happened?" Ratchet demanded.

Jack was gently cradling Miko in his arms. To say the young man was distressed would have been a flagrant understatement. His heart was pounding and there was panic behind his eyes. Ratchet's gaze traveled to Miko and he inwardly gasped. The ends of the Asian's hair was slightly singed and the wires and tubes still connected to the Gauntlet were fried. It didn't take long for the old medic's mind to put two and two together. A shaking, distraught voice brought him back to the present.

"I-I tried to unhook it, but when it overloaded Miko..." Jack was on the verge of tears as guilt welled up inside of him. The memory of her hand pushing his off of the unstable Gauntlet was replaying in his mind.

"Quickly! We must get Miko to a hospital." Ratchet transformed, which allowed Jack to carry his friend into the ambulance-in-disguise.

Ratchet remotely activated the Ground Bridge to an alley near the hospital June worked at. He adjusted his rear-view mirror to see Jack holding Miko's hand. He was whispering something the red and white medic couldn't hear. They reached the hospital and Jack jumped out as Ratchet opened the doors. He wheeled the gurney that Miko was laying on into the hospital.

"I need a doctor!" he pleaded. "My friend was electrocuted!"

"Jack? Honey, what's going on?" June questioned. Jack had never been happier to see his mother. Even if she did embarrass him when she was being overprotective or... He was getting _way_ off topic. He tried to speak, but couldn't formulate a sentence. The adrenaline in his body was clouding his thoughts.

"Miko was electrocuted when she, uh, touched a steel shipping container that was, um, struck by lightning." Jack's mind desperately came up with an absurd lie, but he didn't care. All that mattered was whether or not Miko would be all right.

His mother gave him a look that said, "We'll talk later."

The next few minutes were a blur as his friend was swept away to one of the many rooms. A nurse told him to sit down while they stabilized his friend. He briefly remembered blushing and mumbling something like, "She's not my girlfriend." He froze when he realized she hadn't even said the word girlfriend.

The small part of his brain not drowning in worry, embarrassment, and adrenaline yelled at him to call the base and update them on Miko's status. After he filled everyone in, his mom found him.

"Jack, sweetie, you can go see Miko now if you like. She's stable now."

He ran past her, and then stopped when he realized he didn't know what room she was in. June called out behind him, "She's in room 104, dear."

Jack was panting when he made it to Miko's room, having sprinted the whole way there. He sat beside her bed and took her hand. His throat tightened up and his eyes stung as he gazed upon the girl who had probably saved his life.

"Miko..." He whispered. He choked back a sob as he bowed his head.

Jack almost had a heart attack when his phone rang. It was Arcee.

"Hey, Arcee."

"Hey, partner. How's Miko doing?"

Jack looked over at the unconscious form next to him. "Mom said she's doing better. Hopefully she'll wake up soon."

"Jack, Optimus wants me to pick you up for a debriefing. I'll be there soon. Can you meet me outside?"

"Sure thing, Arcee." Jack stood up and started to leave. Half-way to the door, he stopped and turned around. He hesitantly kissed his friend on the forehead before going outside to wait for his guardian.

The ride back to base quiet, and Arcee sensed that something else had happened earlier this afternoon. There was more to the story than Jack had originally said. Her partner dismounted when they were inside the base. He heard the familiar sound of transforming behind him. The young man walked with his head slightly inclined to the ground.

A strong, husky voice said his name. Jack turned to look at Optimus, but he couldn't meet his optics. How could he? Jack was supposed to keep Miko safe, but instead, she was in the hospital. This was all his fault. There was a torrent of emotions swirling around his mind. Worry. Guilt. Fear. Anger. Shame. Everything inside of him threatened to boil over and break him down. _Stop it, _he told himself. _Keep it together. _

"Yes, Optimus?" Jack finally replied, still not making eye contact.

"I understand that this is difficult for you, but we need to know everything that happened when the Polarity Gauntlet overloaded." Optimus' optics were gently looking down at the oldest of their human charges.

Jack finally looked up at the leader of the Autobots. He closed his eyes and was forced to remember the horror he had witnessed mere hour beforehand. All of the events that had transpired during Ratchet's examination of the Gauntlet flooded out as Jack told them exactly what had happened. When he started to tell them about Miko sweeping his hands off of the magnetic device, Jack choked up.

"Your mom said she was going to be fine, though. Right?" Bulkhead inquired with uncertainty.

"Yeah. Optimus, with your permission I'd like to go back to the hospital. I... I want to be there when Miko wakes up." Jack looked at the Prime with a pleading expression.

Optimus' optics softened when he said, "Of course, Jack. However, you may want to call your mother and inform her of everything that has taken place today."

Jack nodded and called his mom. After informing his mother of the basics of what happened, he took what felt like the first breath he'd had in hours.

"Jack, honey, I brought a pair of Miko's clothes over to the hospital. She still unconscious, though. You'll still be able to see her, if you hurry." June said, traces of exhaustion in her voice.

"Okay, mom. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Jack headed downstairs and prepared to depart.

"Ratchet, ready the Ground Bridge."

The worried teenager barely restrained himself from running through the swirling, green vortex. There was a flash of bright light as he was transported to the alley next to the hospital.


	3. Who are you, again?

Memory Lane

A young Japanese female was resting on a bed in a room with white walls. She had jet black hair with a wide, hot pink streak running down the length of her gorgeous, midnight-colored crown. The simple hospital smock she wore had short sleeves and was off-white. The room she occupied had no windows, and there was an eerie, green glow emanating from the monitor that displayed her vital statistics. An almost-inaudible blip sounded in perfect synchronization with her heartbeat.

A loud groan drowned out the soft blip as the mysterious girl sat up. Taking a deep breathe, she slowly opened her eyes to survey her surroundings. The brown orbs snapped open as the unfamiliar image filled her view. She tried to remember where she was, but she froze when she couldn't remember _anything._ The startled teenager whipped her head from side to side in panic, but quickly stopped when the action caused shooting pains in her spinal column. She started to breath easier, but then she looked down.

She barely bit back a scream when she say tubes imbedded in her left arm. Only after she ripped then out did she remember to breath. Once again, her eyes nervously scanned the room. A dark bundle at the edge of the bed caught her eye. She slipped off and tentatively placed her bare feet on the ground. The floor was cool, but not ice cold. As she walked to the edge of the bed, her hand brushed up against something stiff. Brown eyes traveled down to be met with the sight of a clipboard.

"What's this?" she pondered out loud.

Her eyes scanned the front page, until one line made her stop.

_Patient Name: Miko Nakadai._

Her name was Miko Nakadai? At least it was a start to unraveling this mystery. Looking down, she made a silent decision to ditch smock. It didn't fit her personality at all. Awkwardly, she berated herself. How would she know what style fit her personality? She couldn't remember _anything._

Miko shook her head to clear the thoughts away and started to dress herself using the clothes at the foot of the bed. The undershirt was a light purple V-neck with darker purple on the hems. After the V-neck, there was a navy blue tank top with yellow spaghetti straps. On the front there was a green robot with one eye bigger than the other. A pair of dark purple leggings were the next article of clothing that went on. Miko slipped on a pair of jean shorts over the leggings. The shoes that were on the ground near the bed went all the way up to the petite Asian's knees. They were dark as well, and they were laced with pink shoelaces. The very last thing she put on was a wide yellow belt with two stuffed monsters.

Miko took a deep breath and announced to herself, "I guess it's time to hit the road."

She tip-toed out of the room. The small female didn't realize how skittish she was until she heard someone loudly guffawing down the hall. Her adrenaline kicked in as she thought of what they would do to her if she was caught. Miko started jogging down the hall, desperate to get out. but trying not to draw attention to herself.

"Hey, girl! Where do you think your running off to?" One of the doctors questioned from somewhere behind her.

That was the last straw for Miko's nerves. She flew down the hall at a dead sprint, without any idea of where she was going. In what she assumed was a rare stroke of luck (because what lucky person loses all of their memories and wakes up with tubes stuck through them?), her eyes caught sight of a glowing green sign that read 'EXIT'. With a burst of speed, she shot through the door and...

WHAM

Miko's head spun and she saw stars. She guessed that a head-on collision had just taken place, and she landed on the ground with enough force to knock the wind out of her. The young female cocked her head to the side and observed her groaning Human-Bumper-Cars partner. His head still hadn't raised up enough to see her, so she couldn't see his face. He had a long-sleeved, gray shirt on with a darker gray T-shirt over it. He also wore a simple pair of jeans and black sneakers.

"Uh, sorry." She offered sheepishly as she stood up.

The small Asian was surprised to see the boy's head snap up to look at her. He had dark eyes and black hair. She politely extended her hand to help the unfortunate boy up. He took it with out hesitating, and she hauled him up. He was heavier than he seemed, and Miko assumed he had a little muscle on him. If anyone had asked what her initial thought was, she would have said he was scrawny. She knew she had to leave as fast as possible, but for some reason she felt safe around him.

All of those thoughts went through Miko's head in a fraction of a second. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts to see him tackling her with a hug, all the while laughing joyfully. She tensed in surprise, but he didn't seem to notice.

Her blood turned to ice when he jubilantly exclaimed, "Miko, you're alright! Everyone was worried sick, especially Bulkhead. You should have seen the poor lug pacing. I think the only reason he didn't storm into the hospital was because Optimus and Ratchet held him back." He laughed when he recalled the memory of Bulkhead straining to wrench free of Prime's grip on his shoulders.

Miko's mind was reeling with all of the strange names the even stranger boy had just spouted off. She guessed that her intelligence hadn't been very high when she had her memories because she said, "Uh, what's an Optimus and why is it helping a mechanic's tool hold back a large door? And who are you, for that matter?"

The boy paused and gently put his hands on Miko's shoulders. He took a step back so he could peer into her eyes, but then grinned after a couple seconds.

"C'mon, Miko. Amnesia? That's the best punk you can come up with? It's not very realistic because even then you'd still be able to recognize your old friend, Jack. I honestly thought you'd have something like, 'I'm a clone of the Decepticons!"

"What?" The mystified girl replied, more confused than ever.

"Okay, okay. I'll admit it wasn't very good, but you're the one who's good at coming up with pranks." The boy named Jack said with a playful sigh.

Miko had just about enough with this 'Jack' kid. She was starting to get annoyed that he didn't believe she couldn't remember anything.

She angrily replied, "Look bub, I don't care who you are or what a Deceptithing is. I have to go, and you are not going to stop me, get the picture?"

Jack had a surprised look on his face that turned to border line panic when he realized he wasn't being punked, although he still expected his friend to smile as she laughed how gullible he was. After a few seconds, he didn't hear anything and his panic rose. A nagging voice in the back of his mind urged him to remember the fact that there hadn't been any recognition in Miko's eyes when she saw him. His hands dropped to sides as he reached for his phone.

"We have to get you back to base so the Doc-Bot can figure out what's going on," Jack said as he ran his other hand through his hair.

Miko's head shot up in surprise, and the she stammered, "W-what? I don't even _know _you, and you're expecting me to trust you on a _whim!_" Her voice started rising when it got to the end.

"Look, I know you don't remember, but you have to trust me," Jack tried to soothingly convince her as he gently took hold of her left wrist.

BIG MISTAKE.

Miko's eyes narrowed as adrenaline flooded through her petite frame. She started jerking away from the boy who was starting to _really _scare the scrap out of her. If she hadn't been so scared, she would have wondered why she used _'scrap' _instead_ 'crap'. _However, that wasn't big on her list of issues at the moment.Her almost-violent spasms were busy as they desperately tried to wrench her wrist free of Jack's hold.

"Whoa! Miko, calm down! For Primus' sake, I'm trying to help you!" Jack was trying, and failing, to keep the wild Asian under control.

Then, Miko did something that shocked them both. She swung around with a punch from her right hand. After it connected with his lower lip, she brought her knee up and hit him in a very uncomfortable spot. Finally, he dropped to his knees, releasing Miko's hand in the process.

Without a second thought, she shot down the street and dove into an alley six blocks down. Her chest was heaving and her whole body was trembling. She looked around and a large, cardboard box caught her eye. She sighed as she realized that she would have to sleep in it tonight. She crawled over to it and lay down. Miko was asleep in seconds.

_Meanwhile, Jack will have some explaining to do._

Jack dialed the base's number and held his breath.

A grumpy voice on the other end answered gruffly, "What is it?"

"Uh, Ratchet," Jack sheepishly coughed, "We have got a serious situation down her."

_**How was that chapter? Sorry it took me so long to upload. I've been pretty busy. Please review! Constructive criticism is welcomed!**_


	4. Jack's second beatdown

Memory Lane

"What the frag do you mean 'Miko left the hospital'?" Ratchet boomed high above Jack's head.

Jack glared up at the old medic and hissed through gritted teeth, "For the millionth time, I went back to the hospital, but before I got there she just ran into me. She was hauling _aft,_ too. She looked like she was trying to leave the hospital." The distressed teen took a deep breath and prepared to give the rest of the story. This was as far as he had gotten before the worried doctor interrupted him. Three times in a row.

"After we had our head-on collision, she helped me up. I gave her a hug and told her how worried we were. Nothing seemed out of place until I told her about Bulkhead struggling to visit her at the hospital. Miko acted like she didn't have any idea about what I was talking about." Jack looked up nervously to see how the colossal robots would take the news.

"_Please_, tell me you didn't think she was-" Ratchet began.

"Joking?" Jack interjected. "Yeah, I did."

Ratchet growled angrily, but stopped when Optimus gave him a look. "Well, where is she now!" The frustrated Doc-Bot inquired demandingly.

Jack peeked up with a guilt-ridden look and started stepping side-to-side. "I don't know," he said, cheeks flushing at the memory of Miko beating the scrap out of him.

Raf cocked his head in surprise before he bewilderingly asked, "Jack, are you _blushing?_"

"Uh... No?"

"Really? C'mon Jack. You can tell us what happened."

Jack sighed and said, "Well, I had a hold of Miko before she ran. I was _planning _on taking her back to base, but she started freaking out. I kinda got punched and kicked a few times and my grip loosened, so she sort of... got away."

No one said anything until Raf blurted, without thinking, "You got beat up by a girl!"

Before anyone could react to what Raf said, Optimus decided to step in. As he stepped forward, and every bot and human's eyes snapped to look at the blue and red mech. He glanced at everyone in the room with a serious expression of his faceplate.

"We must find Miko, before one of our adversaries. The Decepticons, or MECH, will not hesitate to use this turn of events to harm one of our human charges, and while Miko is in this vulnerable state, others could possibly take advantage of her," Optimus didn't need to elaborate on the last part. Bulkhead narrowed his eyes, but everyone knew it was just from worry.

"I tried calling Miko, but her phone must be turned off, but if she has her phone, we should be able to pinpoint her exact location in Jasper," Ratchet mused out loud.

"A sound theory, old friend," Optimus agreed, nodding slightly. "Bulkhead, Arcee! You will both go to recover Miko. However, you must remain in vehicular mode, so Jack will accompany you."

Bulkhead had a sudden perplexed look on his faceplates as he inquired, "How did she lose her memories and not lose everything else, like how to fight or speak?"

Ratchet, going into lecture-mode, straightened up and replied, "The Polarity Gauntlet affects magnetic fields or it can emit EMP bursts. Taking into consideration that the human brain is controlled by electrical currents, and the fact that each section of the brain is responsible for certain things, such as motor skills, memories, art, and mathematics, it would stand to reason that the electrical pulses in Miko's brain were only scrambled in one area."

"How are we going to get her memories back?" Raf whimpered, the question still in his brown eyes.

"Well, anything could trigger her memories to return. It could be a sound, a sight, an emotion. Most likely it will be something that was important to Miko."

"You mean like when I woke up after ejecting the synthetic Energon formula because Miko played her guitar?" Bulkhead asked.

"Precisely." Ratchet agreed. There was a small ping from the base console. "I have the coordinates, Optimus."

"Let's go get Miko!" Bulkhead said narrowing his optics.

The three of them went through the swirling, green vortex and were suddenly transported to another alley. Jack dismounted from Arcee and took his helmet off. He shook his head to clear stray bits of frizzled hair out of his eyes.

Arcee holoform appeared on the blue chrome bike as she suggested, "We need to spread out and whatever you do, don't scare her off. If she runs and loses her phone it will be that much harder to find her."

"Understood," Bulkhead grunted.

Jack just nodded and started searching for his friend. Both robots set out in opposite direction, looking for the lost human charge. He scowled as he yet again kicked himself for ever letting harm come to Miko. He wished she hadn't saved him. What would he do if they couldn't find her or, Primus forbid, she got hurt again.

_Don't think like that, _he snapped in his mind. _I _will _find her. _

As he turned the corner into another alley he shivered. It was dark and cold. He couldn't help but wonder how Miko was faring right now. He chuckled to himself. She was probably better off then he thought, after all, she was one of the toughest people he knew.

Sighing he sat down on what he assumed was a sturdy cardboard box. Unfortunately, the box collapsed, but he didn't land on the hard asphalt below. There was something soft and _alive _squirming beneath him, and it squeaked in pain.

The form below him hissed in annoyance at being woken up and growled, "What's the big idea? Can't a girl get any fragging _sleep _around place!"

Jack froze in bewilderment as he realized that he found Miko, and was currently crushing her beneath his sprawled out frame.

_"WELL!" _She snapped. "Are you going to get up or do I have stay like this?"

"What? Oh... sorry. I, uh..." he stammered, getting off of the poor female he accidentally squashed.

She paused before springing to her feet and shouting, "You again! How did you even find me?" Miko panted caught her breath before she screamed, _"What the frag do you want, huh!"_

Jack, finally jerking out of his alarmed stupor, replied pleadingly, "Miko, please, you have to come with me. I know some people who can help get your memories back, but you have to trust me."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, fists clenching as she hissed through gritted teeth, "I wouldn't _trust _you if my life depended on it!"

A loud voice a few blocks over stopped them both. "Arcee, are you sure her phone's signal came from over here?"

Another voice Miko didn't recognize replied shortly, "Yes Bulkhead. Now be quiet, I thought I heard something."

_Bulkhead? _Where had she heard that before. Oh yeah. The weirdo in front of her said it when they were in front of the hospital and she kicked his behind. Remembering what she did last time, Miko swung at Jack with her right fist. This time she split his lip in the bottom left-hand corner. However, Jack was determined to keep a hold of his friend. He grabbed both of her wrists and tried to keep her under control.

Unfortunately for Jack, Miko knew how to fight pretty well for a girl her age. Using her right leg, she swept his legs out from under him in the hope that he would release her. He fell to the ground, but his grip on her wrists was like iron and she tumbled down after him. They wrestled for a few moments, but Jack's size advantage and the close proximity gave the teenage boy the upper hand. They rolled once, with the young male ending up on top.

"Miko, you need to settle down, alright? I'm trying to help you!" He grunted, sitting up to look her in the eyes.

"Get _off_ of me!" She demanded, feeling her cheeks flush at the intimate position they were in.

Jack seemed to notice how they were laying for the first time. He had her arms pinned several inches from her head, fingers gently curled around her delicate wrists. He had straightened up a little after he got the upper hand, and was now practically straddling Miko's hips. He was looming over her slightly, and their hips were grinding together, creating friction between the two teens. Both of their breathing hitched at how close the other really was.

Jack's eyes traveled to her meet hers and for a moment they both seemed to relax as they locked gazes. Miko felt something stirring inside of her, and she started to get agitated. She should be fighting back, not calming down! Jack started to blush lightly, and she tensed, realizing how limp she had gotten. After looking into his dark blue eyes, she desperately felt like she should remember something, but nothing came to mind. With a nervous gulp, she prepared to escape.

Both of them jumped as the sound of a car running into a trash can reverberated through the night air, and it was accompanied by the same voice they had heard a minute ago. "Oops. Sorry! What Arcee, do you think I _meant_ to hit it?"

The abrupt distraction was all the wiry Asian needed to get free. After wrenching her right arm free, she backhanded the boy above her. He got up enough for her to bring her knee to her breasts, almost in a fetal position, and kick him in the chest. The force of the blow knocked him a few feet away from her. To her surprise, she felt bad when she heard him groan in pain.

Her guilt wasn't strong enough to keep her from bolting away as fast as she could. She was scared they would find her again, because every time she saw that mysterious boy, she felt something. She didn't know what it was yet, but it threatened to turn her legs to jelly and her mind to mush. As she turned another corner, her pace lessened. Breathing hard, she rested her hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

Miko remembered something the loud voice had said. _'Are you sure her phone's signal came from over here?' _That was how they found her? A cellphone? She didn't have a phone though. Her hand slowly traveled down to the wide yellow belt. As she brushed past one of the stuffed animals, she felt something hard and plastic. Practically tearing it off of her belt, she raised it to her eyes. Miko flipped it open with her thumb as if she'd done it a thousand times before. In the middle of the screen it read 12:34 a.m. Her eyes traveled to the corner of the screen that read _Contacts. _Taking a deep breath she hit 'select' and waited for the names to pop up. The first one said 'Base', and, since she had no idea what that meant, she scanned though the rest.

The next one was 'Bulkhead.' One contact said 'Host Parents.' Again, she had no idea who it was. She froze when she saw a familiar name shining from the small screen.

_Jack Darby._

She trembled when she saw it and quickly shut the phone. Miko slipped the pink device into her belt between the two animals. Looking up, she saw the light from the moon, and she remembered how late it was. Yawning, she tried to find a place to sleep. She was exhausted from her encounters with the strange black-haired boy and the running that came after each visit.

She saw a childrens' park one block to her right and started walking over. As she sat it the swing, swaying back and forth, she wondered how she got herself into this mess. She didn't think about it for long, because she soon crawled beneath one of the shorter trees and fell asleep for the second time that night.

Arcee transformed and rushed over to her groaning partner. She looked behind to see Bulkhead trying, and failing, to maneuver into the alley without knocking more trash cans over.

The green giant surveyed the scene and asked incredulously, "Did she beat you up _again?_"

"Bulkhead, not helping!" Arcee scolded.

Turning back to Jack, she watched as he got up and clutched his ribs.

"Ow. That hurt a lot," he said wincing.

Arcee was worried that he may have broken some of his ribs, so she immediately called for a Ground Bridge. All three of them walked through, disappointed at coming back empty handed.

Jack, though he wouldn't admit, was hurting from being kicked, and from yet again losing his friend.

Bowing his head, he quietly whispered in a tone that would have broken Megatron's spark, had he heard, "I promise, I'll find you. Just hang on Miko, I'm coming."

_**A/N: Sorry that chapter took me a while. I kept deleting and retyping and rewording. Hope you enjoyed the fourth chapter of **_**Memory Lane! ****_Next chapter the Decepticons will make an appearance. Can you guess which one? Thanks for reading and reviewing! I love all of you! _**


	5. Miko's SafeHouse

Memory Lane

"I told you, I'm _fine! _We should be looking for Miko not- OW!- worrying about my ribs!" Jack growled in agitation.

"Your _fine_? I'll be the judge of that, thank you," Ratchet snapped. "You could have a few broken ribs, but the only way to know for sure is if you _stop squirming long enough for me to scan you!"_

"Jack, do what he says, okay? The sooner you cooperate the sooner you can search for Miko," June said softly.

Optimus placed a hand on the medic's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Not everyone was as in-control as the Prime, though. Bulkhead was pacing around the silo, Raf was shaking on the tan couch, Arcee had a worried look in her optics and she kept periodically clenching her fists, and Bumblebee was beeping and whistling sadly.

"Can we still trace Miko's signal?" Optimus asked calmly.

"Yes. I've been tracking her, but Optimus, there's something else you need to take into perspective."

"Yes?" Optimus asked, everyone else in the room leaned forward in anticipation and curiosity, waiting for Ratchet to speak.

"Do any of you know the most dangerous life form?"

"A mother?" June guessed.

"Scraplet?" Bulkhead asked, unconsciously shivering.

"A cornered animal," Raf announced. "It's the one with-"

"Nothing to lose," Ratchet finished. "Optimus, from what Jack has told me, Miko has acted hostile towards him because she doesn't trust him. I fear that if she feels too cornered, she may gravely injure herself or another in her confusion."

"Sound advice," Optimus replied.

They all started discussing the safest way to get Miko back, but there was always an inconstant variable. No one knew how she would react to being cornered, chased, or even talked to. They never stopped trying to formulate a plan though.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Miko woke up underneath a tree, soft grass tickling her exposed arms. She slowly got up and checked the time on her newly-discovered phone. 6:24. She never got up this early. Did she? It didn't feel like it because all she wanted to do was go back to sleep, but the Japanese girl knew she had to keep moving, or else that Jack person could find her again.

She remembered how they tracked her last time and how she still had her phone with her.

_Stupid. _She thought angrily. Her mind had been so fuzzy last night that she forgot to ditch her phone! She leapt to her feet and started walking down the street, trying to be as discreet as possible. Miko glanced around to see if anyone was nearby.

There was no one in sight. As slyly as she could, the teenager chucked her phone, with as much strength that she could muster, down an alley. Smiling in satisfaction, Miko started walking down the street, though she had no idea where she was going.

It was still early, so nobody was on the streets. A few cars were heading to work, carting the poor saps who worked at the ungodly hour. The young girl shivered as a cool morning breeze gently caressed her bare arms.

Miko walked around town for a few hours, not knowing what she was doing. She walked into a convenient store that she'd passed five times during her 'stroll around town.' A clock on the wall said 9:44. Desperately wanting to know what day it was, she bravely went up to a check-out clerk.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what day it is?" She asked as politely as she could.

The clerk looked up and chuckled, "Seriously, kid? What teenager in Jasper doesn't know it's Saturday?"

"I was just asking!" She huffed in slight annoyance, "What is it a crime to forget now!"

The woman at the cashier replied, "Easy, kiddo. I didn't mean any offense! By the way, what's you name, sweetie?"

"Uh, Miko. Miko Nakadai."

"Aren't you that foreign-exchange student from Japan, or some country like that?"

Miko opened her mouth to say _'I think so'_ when a bell sounded behind her, indicating that someone was entering the store.

A phrase popped into the young girl's head: Saved by the bell.

As the cashier was greeting the next customer, Miko slipped out of the store. _Now what? _She thought despairingly. Where was she supposed to go? She didn't know of any safe place around here. The hospital was obviously a no-go, and she didn't remember where her home was.

Miko almost dropped to her knees in the street as the image of an old, run-down, building flashed across her mind. When she saw the two-story, stucco construction, all she felt was peace, happiness, and love. Even stranger than the image suddenly appearing, was the fact that she knew _exactly_ where it was. A mile and a half outside of town to the north-east. You couldn't see it from Jasper because it was concealed by a sand bank.

_Weird. _Miko thought with a slight shudder, but it was a place to stay during this fragged-up situation. _Fragged-up? _Another mystery for another time, she thought as she shook her head.

Despite having no idea how to navigate the town fifteen minutes before, she automatically started heading towards the north-east facing road. Miko had a few dollars in her pocket, so she purchased a few water bottles from a vending machine before she left. She wanted to get to the building as fast as possible, so she didn't question her subconscious mind taking control.

She walked for what seemed like hours. That was probably because, on the rare occurrence that a car would pass by, she would scramble off the road and hide behind clumps of sage brush for over twenty minutes. She didn't know why she didn't want to make any more contact with people. Maybe it was because it ended badly whenever she saw that Jack Darby kid.

Despite her continuous efforts not to, her thoughts kept traveling back to him. She felt bad about beating him up, and she was sure he could have easily overpowered her. He probably would have hurt her if he tried, but that shouldn't have mattered to him. Right? The more she pondered about it, the more confused she became.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts, that she almost didn't see the car in the distance. Quickly, she tumbled off the road and hid behind a particularly large clump of brush. _At this pace, _she thought,_ I'll_ never_ make it to that building._

When Miko finally saw a familiar sand bank, relief welled up inside of her. It was getting dark outside, and she was exhausted from her hours of walking through the desert. The perky Asian started running to the building, and her feet didn't stop moving until she was inside. It was exactly the same as the image in her head. Brown, weather-worn walls, empty, dust-filled rooms, and half of the roof caved in. There was a hole in the left wall that looked like a wrecking ball had smashed through it.

Miko would have gone to sleep right then and there, if she hadn't heard a strange noise outside. It sounded _so_ familiar, but she couldn't identify where she had heard it before. It was the sound of metal shifting and cogs turning. What scared her the most was the sound that accompanied it.

Footsteps. Loud, heavy footsteps.

Her blood froze when a sinister voice said, "Remember me? I remember you, _Miko._"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Everyone was quiet in the missile silo. They had just returned from picking up Miko's phone, but without retrieving Miko.

"Did you get her?" Raf had inquired hopefully.

"No," Bulkhead replied sadly. "She must have heard one of us because she tossed her cell phone into an alley."

He had held up the pink device, that now had tiny fractures on the screen, for the the hacker to see. Now, everything was silent except for Ratchet typing away at the main console. Everybody, except Optimus, jumped when they heard the Doc Bot gasp loudly.

"Ratchet, is everything alright?" Optimus questioned, slight worry in his tone.

"It's _Starscream_!" The old medic hissed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N**

**FWI. This Fan Fiction takes place after the episode _Rock Bottom. _It is not current, sorry for not specifying that earlier. Starscream is still the Decepticon SIC, and he still has his T-Cog. Sorry if there was any confusion!**


	6. They Just Keep Fighting

Memory Lane

"Starscream?" Bulkhead asked. "As in the traitorous, sadistic, Con who threatened me and Miko in the mine!"

Arcee scowled at him and asked snarkily, "How many '_Starscreams' _do you know Bulk?"

"Just one, thankfully."

"The question is," Ratchet interjected, "what is he doing here?"

"What do mean _here_?" Bulkhead inquired, disbelief slathered on his face plates.

"Ratchet?" Optimus asked softly.

"Optimus, he's on the road that leads to our base."

A cacophony of voices erupted, asking tings like how he found them and where were the rest of the Cons?

"How did he pinpoint our base's location?" Optimus asked, his optics narrowed.

"I don't know, lets ask him." The old medic punched a balled fist to his flat palm.

"Arcee and Bulkhead will accompany me." The Prime commanded. " Autobots, roll out!"

Ratchet had activated the Ground Bridge, ready to send the bots through. However, in their haste, nobody noticed a teenage slip down and head towards the Bridge. Nobody except Raf.

"Jack, what are you doing? I thought sneaking out was Miko's job." Raf looked at him with big, brown eyes.

"Raf, Miko could be there. I need to make sure."

"Well hurry up! Ratchet could close the Ground Bridge at any minute!"

Jack turned around and raced towards the vortex of energy, and he felt the familiar sensation of vertigo pass through him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The huge robot loomed over Miko, a menacing look on his face. He launched into a speech as he straightened up.

"Oh my, won't the Autobots be distressed when they discover I have taken you prisoner. Oh yes. Megatron will be pleased that I have procured one of Prime's human charges. You won't believe how easy it was to find you. Your Autobots allies can't hide a comm link signal to save their sparks. To bad your friend Bulkhead isn't here to save you! Oh, what I wouldn't give to see the look on his face when he finds out!"

Despite his threatening tone, all that was going through Miko's mind was how _cool _it was! She felt a_ little_ scared, but that was probably because it had red eyes.

Seeing the look on her face, the robot straightened up and snapped, "What are you looking at!"

"Question. How do you know my name?" Miko inquired.

"Pardon?"

"What are you deaf? I asked how you knew my name. How does every fragging person know who I am except me!" She cried, her voice beginning to rise.

He stared at her in disbelief before incredulously huffing, "Why aren't you scared right now? I'm Starscream! You were terrified _last _time."

"Right, last time. Hate to break it to you 'Starscream', but I have no idea what your talking about. Besides, why would I be terrified of you. I mean, come on, you look like a _girl_!"

He glared at her in unmasked fury before saying icily, "You will fear me in a few moments, child. Believe me."

Adrenaline coursed through Miko's veins as her body asked the age-old question: fight or flight? Essentially, it was a no-brainer.

Miko started to back up, but a few seconds later she turned around and sprinted into the building she had welcomed as a safe haven mere minutes before. There were rickety stairs that she knew led to the roof, and she took them without a second thought.

Miko reached the roof in seconds, fear dominating her thoughts. She gasped for air as she hid behind a piece of rubble.

Two sounds shattered the night, one right after the other. The first came from the ground, and it sounded like nothing she had ever heard and something that she always heard. The second was Starscream bursting through the damaged roof.

"Up there!" A feminine voice shouted.

Miko looked down, staying hidden so the newcomers couldn't see her, and saw three giant robots. One was short and blue, another was tall, blue, and red, and the last was massive and green. Her pulse quickened when she laid eyes on a familiar black-haired boy.

"Scrap. Can't you Autobots mind your own business!" The silver robot sneered.

"I thought _your _business was getting your gears cleaned by Megatron!" The green one retorted in anger.

Everyone was too busy arguing to notice Jack running towards the building and bolting up the stairs. Miko eyes snapped up when she heard small footsteps going across the roof.

"You _again!" _She hissed in fury.

"Shh, Miko! Come with me, before Starscream notices!" He urged.

Once again, the young Japanese female thought she would get lost in those deep eyes.

"Please. I _promise_ I won't let anything hurt you."

Miko still didn't know if she could trust him, crazy as that sounded.

"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast!" Starscream chided. His fist smashed through the roof, knocking both children off balance.

The Seeker transformed as he jumped off the roof. All three bots followed him, unaware of the fact that Miko was hanging off the edge of the roof. The young girl cried out in fear as her left hand slipped off the edge, leaving her hanging on by only her right hand.

"Miko, hang on!" Jack yelled, panic underlying his tone.

He reached a hand out to her, and suddenly Miko wasn't in the desert anymore. She was in a cave and she felt like she was suffocating. Miko looked up, and he was right there. Hand outstretched, eyes pleading for her to take it. She didn't want to leave Bulkhead (Wait, what?), but she knew she could trust Jack. She looked into his gorgeous eyes, the eyes she trusted, loved, and got lost in. He was always there for her, always came when she was in trouble, always made her feel special. She reached out to the boy who could make her heart leap and her stomach twist by just being in the same room.

Miko gasped as she was uncharacteristically thrown back into the present. Just like in her memory, she reached for Jack's hand, and he pulled her up. Images flashed through her mind as her memories came flooding back to her.

_Jack smiling at her, Miko's heart pounding as their eyes locked..._

_ Miko sneaking through the Ground Bridge, Jack immediately following her..._

_ Jack staring at Sierra like a lovestruck puppy, Miko wanting to heave her lunch up..._

_ A glowing tentacle whipping them both around the room, Jack checking to make sure she was okay..._

_ The train heading for the blown tracks, Jack stepping towards her almost like he was about to..._

"Jack..." The young girl whimpered. "I'm sorry-"

"Shh, shh. It's alright, I got you." He gently cradled her trembling frame against his chest, cooing softly.

He brushed a stray bit of hair from her eyes and opened his mouth to speak, "Miko, I-"

"Miko! Jack!" Bulkhead cried happily. "Guys, I found them!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The next few hours were a blur as Miko was whisked through the Bridge. Everyone at base was overjoyed to see her, even Ratchet. Raf ran up and hugged around the middle.

"We're so glad you're safe, Miko!" He said happily.

After everyone settled down and Ratchet finished checking her vitals, Miko looked around. She didn't see Jack anywhere and she frowned. After they got back, she remembered him slipping out to the balcony.

She padded down the hall as quietly as she could. Almost everyone was in recharge, parents had been called and told their kids would be at a friend's house.

"Jack?" She called, barely louder than a whisper.

"Over here," he called to her left.

"What's wrong? You sound...upset."

"I'm fine," he said. Jack looked at her, his eyes filled with worry.

"Dude, seriously, what's the matter?"

His eyes narrowed and he growled, "Miko, sometimes you can be so _stupid! _What's wrong with you? How can you just stand there and pretend everything's fine!"

"Oh, now I'm stupid! If memory serves, I saved your life!" She retorted saucily.

"That's my _point!"_ He roared. Miko took a step back, his tone frightening her. "What if someone had hurt you? What if we never found you? Did you even think about any of that?"

"What's your problem? I'm fine! You're fine! I did what I thought was necessary, and I don't have to explain myself to you or anyone! Besides, it's not like you care!" Miko shouted back.

"What's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just forget it!"

"No! How can you say that! I was out of my mind with worry!"

"I said forget it!"

"You can't just say something like that and expect me to drop it!" He yelled.

Miko shook with rage. "You never cared! You never have and you never will! I saved your life and all you can do is scold me because 'I didn't think of the consequences.' Well, you know what? I _was_ thinking about what might happen, but I wasn't worried about _me!"_

Jack looked at her with frustration swirling through his head. "I would have been fine! You didn't need to put yourself in harms way!"

"If I hadn't reacted you'd be _dead! _I barely touched it, and your hand was completely on top of it!"

Jack screamed right back at her and said, "It wasn't your call to make! Don't you _dare _do that again!"

Miko sank to the ground in despair. There were tears in her eyes, and they threatened to come out.

"Just stop it, please! I can't keep _fighting _with you. You want to know the _real _reason I did it? I couldn't lose you! There, are you happy now?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, but it was dripping with anguish.

"What?" Jack breathed softly. He knelt down to look her in the eyes, but she turned away.

"You have the nerve to call _me _blind?" She asked in astonishment. "Didn't you think it was weird that seeing Starscream, a giant alien Decepticon, didn't trigger my memories, but you on the edge of the roof did? You stupid, stupid, _stupid _Darby!"

Jack remembered what Ratchet had said a little bit ago about getting her memories back._ 'Most likely it will be something that was important to Miko.'_ Jack's mind put two and two together, but he was hesitant to say it out loud.

"You're in love with me," he blurted out, but froze when he saw the exposed look on her face.

"Maybe," she mumbled.

"Miko..." he said, his tone slightly exasperated.

"What! Like I said, it's not like you cared. I'm pretty sure everyone at base knew except for you! They probably thought you'd figure it out of your own, but I knew you never would! All you can think about Sierra this and Sierra that. Guess who talked to me at school today? Guess who I took for a ride today? Well guess what, I'm getting _sick of it!_" When she was done speaking, she stood up and retreated to the balcony edge.

Throughout her rant, Jack felt sick. He _was _blind. He had rubbed it in her face without even realizing it, and from the look on her face, he could tell he had hurt her. Badly.

He felt a rush of insight. Jack felt like he was an idiot. Miko was always there when he was sad. She always made her feel better after a bad day. If Sierra ever stood him up or Vince ever tried to bully him. She was at his side in a second, and she had taken a bullet for him. He knew why Miko had saved him, she loved him. Now, at least, he knew where his feelings were aimed.

He took a step forward, and Miko didn't move away. He went closer until they were mere inches apart.

"Miko, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt I just didn't know. I promise, I will never let it happen again."

Miko gave him a lopsided grin and said, "_I'm_ the one who hurt _you._"

His hand traveled up to his split lip, his face reddening as he remembered how he got it. A tingle went up his spine.

"I'm sorry about your lip," she said quietly.

"It's fine," he assured her, looking away.

"What did you say on the way to the hospital? Ratchet said you were whispering something, but he couldn't hear." The Doc-Bot had been surprisingly jubilant to see her, and went on about how worried everyone was. He mentioned that Jack held her hand and whispered to her the whole way there.

When he didn't answer, she hesitantly reached up and cupped his chin, her heart hammered in her chest. Slowly she turned him towards her. Standing up on her tiptoes, she gently kissed the cut on his lower lip. He gasped as they made contact, shuddering at her touch.

Something in Jack snapped. Barely keeping himself under control, he put his hands on her waist, and his left hand traced a path up her back.

"Jack! W-what are you mmph!" She was cut off by Jack connecting their mouths.

Miko's heart skipped a beat and she leaned into it. When she gasped, he slipped his tongue into her mouth and she welcomed it without a second thought. He pulled back, in shock.

"Oh my gosh! Miko, um, I'm sorry, uh, I just..." He stammered.

"You should be sorry," she hissed, "but only because you pulled back."

Jack smiled, and so did Miko. Jack cupped the back of her neck, and he kissed. It was gentle and loving. Miko had a hand on his back, and it curled against his spine. Her nails digging into it. They probably would have gone farther, but a small voice on the other side of the door caused them to disconnect.

"Guys? Are you alright? I heard yelling," Raf asked, a little scared.

Jack smiled as he said, "We're fine Raf, we were just talking."

"Talking? It sounded like you were killing each other!"

"Raf, we're fine. Go back to bed, it's late." Miko looked like she would start laughing.

"Okay..."

Jack turned back to Miko and asked, "Were we really that loud?"

"Well, you and your screechy voice were."

"Screechy?"

Miko laughed and wrapped her arms around him. She settled on his lap, sighing in contentment. She rested her head on his chest and fell asleep, feeling happier ever before.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**A/N**

**Well, that's the end of my first FanFic. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and added this story to your favorites! I plan on writing more JackxMiko stories, so keep a look out for them! Thanks. **


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